Audio Transfer

Happy Ireland Productions take great care to transfer and convert all audio formats. From cassette tape transfer to reel to reel tape conversion, Dictaphone, LP records to digital and much more. These are all easily damaged and hard to repair. But we inspect and clean the audio using anti-static materials or special audio cassette tape cleaners. We then capture and convert the audio to your required digital conversion (MP3 or CD). Thereby we use professional transfer and conversion players, and sound cards.

Over the years, many people have built up an extensive LP record and cassette tape collection. These are priceless family recordings of movements in time. However, they can no longer play due to equipment becoming obsolete as formats change. Happy Ireland specialises in converting your precious analogue records and in all sort of cassette tape transfer. Thereby allowing you to enjoy your collections again.

We also offer cassette restoration. On specialised computers, we use professional sound editing software to clean, enhance, and master the audio files while removing any blank sections. In the case of reel to reel tape conversion, there may be several hours of unnecessary dead time between recorded sections plus cracking, hissing, popping, scratching and tape hum.
Sadly some of the vinyl records and reel and cassette tapes will have suffered the ravages of time. They may be in such a poor state that restoration is not impossible.

Our Promise

We promise to do our best to save you valuable audio analogue records and cassette tapes. We will try to restore them to a quality that is as close as possible to the original. Even with vinyl records and cassette tapes that are in below average to poor condition. Our full restoration and conversion techniques include correct tone inconsistencies, speed, balance audio levels and boost vocal recordings. We quality check the final edited audio files, chapter point where appropriate then burn them to in-house professionally printed CDs or request. Finally, we perform a test on the finished CD, before we package it with a detailed quality report.
We offer a full range of professional audio transfer and digitisation services. Including vinyl to digital, video cassette tape to CD, tape to MP3 and Reel transfers to CD or MP3. Please feel free to contact us for more information.

8 Track Conversion

Happy Ireland provides 8 track conversion as well as 8 track repair. But first, let’s take a little trip down memory lane and look back at how it all started. 8-track tape was a sound recording technology using magnetic tape housed in a plastic case. It had eight parallel soundtracks corresponding to four stereo programs. It became popular mainly in America in the 1960s and 1970s until compact cassettes took over.
8-track tape is also known as stereo 8 tape, or eight-track cartridge/tape. The original developers were Lear Jet, the Ampex Magnetic Tape Company, and RCA Records. Ford Motors championed them and offered 8-track players in their 1966 model cars. Initially only as car accessories. The introduction of the home players was a year later.
With today’s technology, however, we can convert and transfer the music from old 8-track tapes to the modern compact disc or MP3. Therefore, making it easier to enjoy the music from the old tapes. Included in our services are bot the 8 track tape repair service as well as the latest 8 track conversion techniques.
We will carefully extract the audio from your 8-track tapes and convert them to CD or MP3 so that you can rediscover your old music or voice recordings.

Cassette tape to CD

Happy Ireland can help you convert your audio cassette tape to CD or MP3. Compact Cassette tape is also known as “audio tape cassette” or just “cassette.” It consists of two miniature spools, between which a magnetically coated plastic tape is passed and wound. By the mid-1970s the 8-track tape had lost its popularity. Most of all because the audio quality of cassette tapes had increased. That was thanks to Dolby noise reduction technology, and also because of improved types of tape. Originally the cassette tapes were designed for dictation tape machines. However, the audio from vinyl LP records and the radio could also be recorded onto the tapes. Its status reached its peak when the Sony Walkman was invented in the 1980s allowing music to be fully portable.
We convert cassette tape to CD or MP3 by placing it in a studio quality Hi-Fi cassette deck. That’s connected to a high-end amplifier and graphic equaliser. This is then fed into a top-of-the-line computer sound card, and we enhance the audio using professional sound editing software. Happy Ireland will convert cassette to CD but also do cassette restoration. Thereby we carefully extract the audio from your audio cassette tapes by converting them to CD or MP3 so that you can rediscover your old music or voice recordings. We improve the quality of the recording by removing background noise and interference. We then balance, enhance and master the sound, before burning the audio to CD or MP3.
The time it takes to transfer cassette to CD or MP3 depends on the length of your cassette tape. It typically takes 30 to 45 minutes of audio per side (C60 and C90 formats respectively); less common capacities included C15, C20, C30, C40, C46, C50, C74, C100, C110, C120, C150, and C180.
When we transfer the cassette tape to CD, it will play on your CD player or computer and will feature a track list for each side of the tape. Each CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
We can convert tape to MP3 or WAV (for Windows) and AIFF (for MAC). Each tape side will be saved as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage, or for importing into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

DAT (Digital Audio Tape) conversion

Happy Ireland provides DAT tape conversion but first, let’s explain a little bit more about this technology. DAT tape is music stored digitally on 4mm magnetic tape. Previously it was considered to be the best medium for live taping and studio backup. It was Sony who first created the DAT tape technology. This technology is closely based on that of video recorders, using a rotating head and helical scan to record data. DAT was great for tape music recording because you could make a perfect 16-bit, 48Khz digital copy of your final mix. As a result, it is capturing all the distinctions of an analogue system. The small portable recorders such as the Sony D8 and Tascam DA-P1 made this a perfect choice for ‘tapers’.
Manufacturers no longer make DAT equipment. Sony stopped the production of their last model in 2005, so the system is now mostly obsolete. If you have any DAT recordings, we can do the DAT tape conversion for you to CD or MP3, so you can continue to enjoy them.
DAT tape conversion to CD will play both on your CD player or computer. It will feature a track list for each side of the tape. Each CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
We can do DAT tape conversion to WAV (for Windows), AIFF (for MAC) or MP3. Each tape side will be saved as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage, or for importing into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

Micro Cassette tape

A microcassette tape has the same tape size as an audio cassette tape but with a smaller casing. Microcassettes were mainly used for voice recordings. Most of all because of their size and sensitivity to the frequency band of the human voice. Consequently, they were ideal for use in dictation and answering machines. This format is still available to buy. However, most dictation tape machines are now digital, and many smartphones have inbuilt voice recorders. Furthermore, the size of the microcassette tape limits the recording time.

Like with most tape formats, the more you replay them the more the tape is susceptible to damage. Convert your old microcassette tape recordings to CD so that you have many tapes on one disc, and can listen to them time and again.
Microcassette tape transfers to CD will play on your CD player or computer. Each side of the tape will feature a tracklist and every CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
Microcassette tape transfers to WAV (for Windows), AIFF (for MAC) or MP3. We will save each tape side as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage. In addition, you can also import them into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

Convert Mini Disc to MP3

Do you want to convert Mini Disc to Mp3 or CD? Great, then we can help. The Mini Disc technology was first showcased in 1983, but it took almost ten years before the idea was commercialised. Sony’s Mini Disc introduced in 1992 and was targeted as a replacement for the Philips analogue cassette audio tape system. Philips themselves introduced a competing system, the digital compact cassette (DCC).
The MiniDisc offered the quality of a CD with the recordable functionality of a cassette. It was heralded as the ‘next big thing’ with many people purchasing MiniDisc players, recorders and portable walkman-style devices. However, its popularity was short-lived when it was abruptly overtaken by the arrival of mp3.
If you were one of the many people that welcomed the arrival of the MiniDisc but now find yourself with no means to play them, then contact us. We can help convert MiniDisc to MP3 or CD. In addition, we also do Mini Disc repair.
MiniDisc transfers to CD will play on your CD player or computer and will feature a track list for each MiniDisc. Each CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
MiniDisc transfers to WAV (for Windows), AIFF (for MAC) or MP3. Each MiniDisc will be saved as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage, or for importing into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

Reel To Reel conversion

Happy Ireland can help you with any Reel to Reel conversion. Initially, this format did not have a name as all magnetic tape recorders used it. However, when other types came on the market, it was named Reel to Reel tape because it was not housed in a container.
Early uses were in the pioneering German-British Blattnerphone machines in the late 1920s, and the 1930s German Magnetophon machines. Reel to Reel tape was also used for data storage in computers, video tape recorder machines, and analogue audio recorders. Studer, Stellavox, and Denon still produced Reel to Reel tape recorders in the 1990s. Currently, only Nagra, Otari, and Mechlabor still manufacture Reel to Reel recorders.
We take special care when dealing with this since it is the oldest and most delicate audio format there is. We learned that there is no quick fix or easy way to get the best results from Reel to Reel conversion. Perhaps that’s why so few of our competitors offer the service. If we need to layer and match channels to match up your recordings, then we will. That’s because we know that your memories are precious.
Reel to Reels have four tracks with two channels. We have found that these often get mixed up and need to be reversed, re-ordered and layered. We take the time and care to provide you with the highest quality result. Professional Reel to Reel players to play tapes at speeds 1 7/8ips, 3 3/4ips, 7 1/2ips and 15ips, and from 1 to 4 tracks. We continuously monitor the tape transfer as it progresses.
Reel to Reel conversion to CD will play on your CD player or computer. It will feature a track list for each side and track. Each CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
Reel to Reel transfers to WAV (for Windows), AIFF (for MAC) or MP3. Each side and track will be saved as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage, or for importing into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

Reel To Reel To Digital

If you have a professionally recorded Ampex Reel to Reel, we can transfer the sound to CD. Ampex was the leader in audio tape technology. They developed many of the analogue recording formats for both music and movies which remained in use into the 1990s. The company set studio standards for many years after developing video tape recorders from the 1950s and later made home video players possible with the helical scan concept. Also, they introduced advances such as multi-track recording, slow-motion and instant playback television.
We can transfer Reel to Reel to digital like CD or Mp3. Also, we will remove any gaps or unwanted noise interference from the recording where possible.
Reel to Reel to digital will play on your CD player or computer. It will feature a track list for each side and track. Each CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
Reel to Reel transfers to WAV (for Windows), AIFF (for MAC) or MP3. Each side and track will be saved as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage, or for importing into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

Vinyl Record To CD

Happy Ireland can help you convert Vinyl to CD or Mp3. A gramophone record, known as a vinyl record or LP, is an analogue sound storage method. It is in the form of a flat polyvinyl chloride disc with an etched spiral indentation. The groove usually starts near the edge and ends near the middle of the disc.
Vinyl records were the primary medium used for music distribution until the late 20th century. From the late 1880s, it had co-existed with the phonograph cylinder, and then replaced it by the late 1920s. Vinyl Records were still very popular even when new formats such as compact cassette were mass-marketed. However, by the late 1980s when digital media in the form of the compact disc gained a larger market share, the vinyl record left the mainstream market in 1991. Nevertheless, Vinyl records continue to be manufactured and sold on a much smaller scale and are primarily used by DJs. Their popularity is growing again, and they are often used by certain niche artist and genres.

We play all records that we receive on studio quality record decks, with only the very best arms, cartridges and stylus. The audio is run through a high-end amplifier and graphic equaliser, then fed directly into a computer via a professional sound card. We process the audio to remove crackling, clicks, pops, and noise. Then we balance chapter point, enhance and master the audio files. The result is subject to our own stringent quality control, detailed in the customer work order under audio quality issues. Finally, it is burned to CD or MP3.
RPM stands for revolutions per minute, as in how many times the platter will spin completely in a minute. Vinyl records can be played at one of three speeds: 33 1/3 RPM, 45 RPM, and 78 RPM. However, the 78 RPM Vinyl LP records are rare. Most full-size 12-inch vinyl records will be 33 1/3 RPM, though some — mainly EPs and maxi-singles — will be at 45 RPM. The vast majority of 7-inch vinyl singles will be 45 RPM.
Vinyl to CD transfers will play on your CD player or computer and will feature a track list for each side and track. Each CD can accommodate up to one hour and twenty minutes.
Vinyl LP record transfers to WAV (for Windows), AIFF (for MAC) or MP3. Each side and track will be saved as an individual audio file. The files will be ready to play on your computer or laptop and are ideal for storage, or for importing into your computer editing software to create your own CDs.

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Your memories are important. That is why we combine over 35 years ecperience with the latest transfer technology to provide you with the highest quality results possible. Our trained technicians oversee every stage of the process to ensure your audio ad images are recaptured and repaired so that you can enjoy them well into the future. With drop-off locations all over Ireland, it has never been easier to bring your memories back to life.

Search for:

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

About

Your memories are important. That is why we combine over 35 years of experience with the latest transfer technology to provide you with the highest quality results possible. Our trained technicians oversee every stage of the process to ensure your audio and images are recaptured and repaired so that you can enjoy them well into the future. With drop-off locations all over Ireland, it has never been easier to bring your memories back to life.